Bonds Broken
by cake.and.toffee
Summary: Chaos ensues in La Push when an imprint is mysteriously reversed. Sam, Emily, Leah and the pack must deal with the emotional turmoil that results, while also trying to to predict what this means for other members of the pack and their partners.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is something I wrote over a year ago and never got around to uploading**. **Not entirely sure where this is going yet, so reviews are much appreciated! **

**Prologue - Sam's P.O.V**

As I looked deep into Emily's eyes the ground didn't shift under me, and the room definitely didn't spin like it used to. Em and I sat on the couch with half the council and ten pack members around us. No one knew this could happen, no one saw it coming. By now everyone knew what had caused the imprint to break. I had seen Leah kissing some guy while on her shift at the café, and something inside me just snapped. Em and I talked in the kitchen before and she finally admitted that she wasn't in love with me either. Of course, we still care about each other deeply, but she wasn't the love of my life. No, that position was already filled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: This is a brand new story and I'm not entirely sure where it's going, so please read and review! Suggestions are most welcome. This chapter really is just an introductory one that sets the scene; sorry that not much actually happens. Definitely more coming very very soon! **

**Leah's POV:**

There was nothing quite like La Push in the summertime. I'd always cherished my summers here. Dad would always take me fishing, and I would miss that the most this time of the year. The town was buzzing. The kids had just been let out of school for the summer, and most of them had flooded straight down to the beach. Walking down the reservation's main street I could see so many people sitting outside on their patios drinking chilled iced tea, while watching their kids run through the sprinklers on their front lawns. There was a certain peaceful sensation that overcame La Push in the summer. Perhaps it was the aftermath of what had happened last year, and the newfound sense of safety for our people. It had almost been one year since the Volturi had come for the Cullens, and one year since they'd left without killing us all. Since then they'd been no real threat for the pack to face. After standing with the Cullens against the Volturi we now enjoyed a true alliance with them, and while some personal hostilities still ensured that no true friendship would ever flourish, we now rarely needed to patrol near their territory for fear of attack.

It had been a year of ups and downs for me too. Emily and Sam were happily married, and at first that had been a serious emotional blow. Sam would always have a piece of my heart. He'd been my first love, the very first person I'd truly let in. At the start of last year I probably hit rock bottom. I was so full of a rage that infiltrated every aspect of my life. The only thing worse then having the whole of the La Push reservation hate me was having the entire La Push reservation pity me. I had reached the point where I couldn't even go to the supermarket without having old ladies point and whisper, or where my own mother had stopped trying to get me out of bed in the morning. I was suffering from an all-consuming depression. Until I tried with all my might to fight my way out of it. It had been an absolute blessing to break away from most of the pack and to fight alongside Seth and Jacob. My mind felt clearer, and Jake had been hugely supportive in shifting me into a healthier headspace. Whenever the shadows crept into my thoughts, whenever I'd feel worthless or unloved, Jake would always tell me otherwise. He fought for me. And that's when I decided things were going to have to change.

There had been a few things that I'd wanted to do for years, but had been so distracted with Sam and the pack that I'd never even given them a go. Firstly, I'd always wanted to further my studies. And so I did, I enrolled at community college in Port Angeles, studying politics and journalism. It was nice to get out of La Push during the day to study, and already I'd made so many new friends. I loved my course and was actually doing really well, but when the end of semester came I needed something else to fill my time. On the outskirts of La Push there was this vintage diner that my Dad had always taken me too on the way back from our fishing trips. He'd order me a huge stack of pancakes and I tip half a bottle of maple syrup all over them before completely devouring them. While driving back from college on the last day of semester I'd noticed the 'Help Wanted' sign in the window, and when I went in to inquire they gave me the job on the spot. Mostly due to my newfound wolfy super coordination, waitressing comes pretty effortlessly to me.

The best part about this job was the customers though. The diner is where I'd met Luke. Luke is a salesman, working in the IT industry, and consequently he travels all around the state speaking at conventions and meeting new business prospects. He'd come into the diner late one night and we'd started talking. I'd told him about how my Dad used to bring me here, and the next thing I know Luke had bought me a huge plate of pancakes, even taking the liberty to tip a bottle of maple syrup all over them. After that we'd kept in touch, and although we weren't anything serious yet, when Luke was in town every couple of weeks he'd always be sure to take me out on a date. I don't know when I'd decided it was time to start dating again; I guess I really hadn't thought too much about it at all.

It has taken a long time to reach this new sense of contentment. I've consumed a lot of relaxing herbal tea, and attended so many yoga classes at college, and it finally feels like it's paying off. Walking down the main street in on a still summer's night feels just like I feel inside. Calm. Peaceful. As I walked around the corner, past Sam and Emily's house, it doesn't even sting like it used to anymore.

As I cut across the corner though, I notice a crowd of people huddled on the patio of their house. Most of the pack is there. The Council too. What's going on? Did something happen? Surely they would have called me if the pack were convening? Just as I come into sight I lock eyes with Billy, who remains entirely expressionless and merely studies my face. Just then, Jake explodes out the door. He's outraged.

"Jake! What's wrong? What's going on?" I ask, fearful that our people are once again under the threat of vampires.

"Leah you should go. Trust me, you don't want to be here."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I'm finding this story is coming together quite easily at the moment so expect lots of updates! Please review, all feedback is appreciated **

Jacob hadn't let me in the house. He'd grabbed my hand and pulled me all the way down the street. Despite my protests, he didn't release me until we'd made it all the way down to the now deserted beach.

"Jake, what the hell is going on?" I shouted, while tearing my hand out of his protective grip.

"I don't really know Lee."

Jake rarely called me Lee, he reserved that nickname for times when he was grappling with breaking some bad news to me. This definitely couldn't be good.

"Its Sam. And Emily. Something's… happened."

My mind went blank. Emily and Sam were La Push's fairytale couple. The very first to imprint. Two soul mates that had found each other against all odds. Or at least that's how the story was usually told. I had no idea how any harm could possibly come to them; it seemed unnatural for them to exist in a less than perfect capacity.

"What's wrong Jake? Are they hurt?"

I could tell from the troubled look on Jake's face that I had failed to come to the correct conclusion, and so I waited for him to blurt it out. Jacob took his time pacing around, unable to remain still and look me in the eyes. Finally he settled himself down on a hollowed out log and motioned for me to join him.

"Ok so, from what I gather, it's complicated. I couldn't really get a straight answer out of either of them. And the council are equally as confused. This has never happened before. Nobody had even contemplated this before. But. From what Sam has told everyone, it's sounds as if his imprint on Emily as somehow… been broken."

Jake waited for my reaction, but I remained entirely frozen. I didn't even blink. Again, my mind went blank. There was no emotion that would adequately describe the overwhelming spectrum of feelings battling inside of me. So I laughed. And I couldn't stop. Jacob's eyes grew wide with worry, and I continued to laugh so hard that I slid from the log and landed with a thud in the sand. And still I continued to laugh hysterically until Jacob picked me up into his arms and held me tight. Finally my cackles reduced to giggles, until I slid back into silence. And then I felt nothing.

….

Jacob could see that I was in no position to talk further about this tonight. He walked me home and then phased and ran home himself. I flopped down on my bed, not even bothering to change out of my tattered singlet top and dirty denim shorts. My mind was racing, and yet I remained numb. Although I was yet to receive any first hand confirmation of what Jacob had told me, I knew it to be true. The pain in his eyes was confirmation enough, not to mention the sombre congregation at Sam and Emily's house.

I still didn't know how to feel. I was over Sam. I was, I had moved on. I was dating; I had a life and a job. And yet a part of me still clung to the memories of our time together. Our relationship had always been effortless. Sam, although reserved in the beginning, quickly opened up to me, while I soon realised that I could be myself around him. We'd grown up together, experienced so many firsts together. We'd made plans for the future, decided when we'd marry, how many kids we'd have and which house we'd buy. We were blissfully unaware we were simply puppets of fate.

A part of me would probably always love Sam, but I couldn't ignore the incredible progress I felt I'd made since we'd been apart. For the first time in years I felt in control of my own fate. I was completely independent, and that was more empowering than any validation a man could give me. I didn't need Sam, and the overwhelming pain he had caused me since his imprint, whether intentionally or not, only reinforced that sentiment. What would happen now that the imprint was broken? Would some of Sam's old feelings for me resurface? Would he remember the promises he'd made me, or the future he'd planned with me? What was scarier than the idea of that was the thought that deep down I'd still want him, that maybe I'd take him back.

I was so absorbed in a whirlwind of my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed the tears start to creep down my face. I had cried thousands of tears for Sam Uley. I wouldn't allow him anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sam's POV:**

I was alone. Alone for the first time in a long time. The pack had cleared out, with the Council not far behind them. No one had been able to answer any of my questions. They only had their own questions to ask, and they spent the whole day interrogating me in extreme detail. I was forced to recount the events of the morning at an excruciatingly slow pace, and even to repeat parts for some of the more senior, and hard of hearing, members of the council. So I told them the truth. The whole truth. I recounted every detail of the morning to them, leaving out nothing, no matter how painful it was to admit.

….

This morning had been a morning like no other. I'd woken with my arms wrapped around my beautiful wife. I could safely say that at this moment in time Em was the centre of my universe. She was all that mattered to me, and I would have done anything to make her happy. We got out of bed, ate breakfast, and Emily left to go the market. As I did every morning, I phased and made contact with pack members on patrol to make sure there'd been no trouble in the night. After phasing back I did some odd jobs around the house and then I got changed and went for a run.

I knew that as a wolf I could run for days and never get tired, but there was still something relaxing about jogging down the main street on a beautiful summer's day in La Push. I nodded my greeting at several members of the community that called out to me as I ran. I had friends in La Push. I was respected here, and that motivated me to push myself to run faster as I hurtled down the road. I usually stopped at the end the main street to turn around, but today was a particularly nice day, and Emily wouldn't be home for at least another hour, so I decided to run down the highway as well.

It wasn't long before the red roof of the diner came into sight, and it wasn't until then that I realised why I hadn't remembered exactly where it was. I never went to the diner. It had become an unspoken agreement between myself and other members of the pack that we could always choose somewhere else to eat, despite the undisputed quality of the pancakes there. Pancakes I'd sampled many times over the years for myself. The diner had become Leah's territory, territory that I didn't dare encroach on.

Leah often crossed my mind, but when she did the guilt followed. A few years ago I wouldn't have hesitated to call her the love of my life. Now it seems foolish to have ever felt that way when comparing those feelings to the absolute devotion that I have to Emily. Leah and I might be called high school sweethearts, but Emily and I are soul mates, and I'd readily embraced the permanency of that along with the imprint itself. I was so caught up in my reminiscing that I hadn't realised I'd reached the diner in a heartbeat. I slowed myself down only to feel a twinge in my left calf. I leant on one of the window panes while reaching down to stretch my leg out, glancing inside as I did. The shock of my life followed. The diner was almost completely empty, but inside was Leah standing behind the counter. Her slender, toned figure leaned over the bar, and her arms were wrapped around a man's neck. He'd leant in to meet her half way, and they kissed passionately, fully aware there were no other patrons in the restaurant. The next thing I knew I was on the ground. Something tore inside of me, and it felt as if my skin was being severed from the muscle underneath. I lost all sensation in my legs and I barely managed to crawl out of the shrubbery that I'd landed in. And then I blacked out.

….

When I woke I was lying on the couch in my living room. Emily stood over me with tears streaming down her face. My eyes were still all blurry, so at first I talked without even looking at her.

"Em, how'd I get here?"

"Embry saw you collapse outside the diner so he picked you up and drove you home." Her voice was shaky and as my eyesight cleared I noticed the wetness on her cheeks.

I automatically reached to comfort her but something stopped me. I looked in to her eyes but something was different. This morning when I'd looked at Emily the Earth felt like it was shifting under me, like a mini earthquake. Now the Earth stood completely still. Before, when I'd look at the scars down the side of her face I'd always feel two things; guilt at causing her pain and guilt for making her love me anyway. Now I only felt bad for the physical toll of our relationship. Usually, when Emily walked away from me it felt like all the oxygen had be sucked from the room, but when she left the room to get me a glass of water I could still breathe as well as ever.

We sat watching each other for an hour, not even finding the words to speak. It was like all the intensity of our love had burned out, had evaporated. The intimacy we shared had dissolved away, and we were left as nothing more than two people that wanted the best for each other.

"I really loved you Sam."

"I loved you too Em."

….

It wasn't long until council members were seated in our living room. Embry had told them about finding me unconscious, and that alone was enough to evoke enough concern for them to congregate here. Only later did they find out the magnitude of what had occurred and that sparked real anxieties. Jacob seemed more than concerned, but outright angry, and after staring blankly out the window for several moments, had barged out the door in complete contempt. No one could offer any explanation, or even give me any advice. They all advised me to keep calm and maintain my daily routines. They had no idea how stupid they sounded. Without Emily there were no daily routines. And before Emily my days had revolved around someone else entirely…

…..

Emily had packed a suitcase after everyone had left. She'd decided to return home for a while, at least until we'd all gained some clarity and had some answers. She promised to call when she was home safely. But now I sit in this empty house all by myself. No pack. No Emily. No Leah. I'm all alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thank you to all those that have reviewed so far! I'm not really a writer, so I appreciate all the feedback and encouragement! Please keep the reviews/suggestions coming!**

**Leah's POV:**

It had been two long weeks since Emily had left La Push. No one had heard from Sam, and as far as I was aware he had locked himself up in his house. He'd even left Jared in charge of the pack so that he wouldn't be disturbed. As for me, I'd been sure to keep extremely busy. One of the other waitresses at work had just left to have a baby, so I'd essentially doubled the amount of shifts I was working to keep my mind off things. I was well on the way to repressing the whole experience actually. If I didn't acknowledge what had happened then I wouldn't have to figure out how I felt about it.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and I was refilling the salt and pepper shakers before the dinner shift. I only had one more hour until my shift finished, and I was running out of night time activities to keep me occupied when I wasn't working. So far I'd helped Jacob fix up two cars, cleaned the whole house top to bottom and had even helped Seth with his homework every night. Maybe I'd start a new book tonight. My thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected surprise.

"Leah!"

Luke had just walked in. He usually texts me when he knows he's passing through La Push, so he'd definitely caught me off guard. I ran around the bar and practically jumped on him. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me just off the ground, which was impressive considering my height.

"Luke, what are you doing here, you're not supposed to be here until next week?"

"My appearance at the Seattle convention was cancelled, and there aren't any major events in the next few weeks, so the company gave me the week off. I thought I'd spend it exploring La Push. And seeing you of course."

Luke and I had only been seeing each other for a few months, and it had always been complicated by the fact that he was always in and out of La Push. We'd never spent more than a day together at a time, so the thought of a whole week with him was really exciting.

"A whole week? That's great! I have so many places to show you and heaps of people that you should meet."

"Sounds great sweetheart. I'm on the way to check in at a bed and breakfast in Forks, but how about I take you out for dinner tonight?"

We agreed he'd pick me up at eight. It didn't look like I'd be reading that book after all.

…..

Jacob flipped off my bed, where he'd been hanging upside down for twenty minutes.

"What was wrong with the first one?" He asked, gesturing to the floral dress strewn on the floor.

"Too casual."

I'd tried on three dresses and had finally settled on a strapless white lace dress, which finished just above my knee.

"What do you think of this one?"

Jake looked me up and down and made an approving grunt, which was really the most interest I could expect him to show in my clothing choices.

"Why all the fuss Leah? I thought you were just going to get some food with him?"

"We're going out for dinner. I don't know, it feels…. Special? I feel good when I'm around him."

Jake noticed my cheery grin, but didn't mirror it at all. In fact, a distinguishable grimace crossed his face, and I couldn't figure out why.

"Just be careful Lee." He'd just used that nickname again. Only Jake could get away with calling me that. "You don't really know this guy. He's only in town a few days at a time, so maybe you've only seen the best side to him and haven't had the chance to see the rest."

Jake was worried about me. He'd seen me get carried away with Sam, had seen me fall too fast, too soon. But this was different. I was an adult now. And I'd had my heart broken, but I was only stronger for it.

"Everything's going to be just fine Jake."

…..

Luke had chosen a gorgeous candle lit boutique restaurant in Port Angeles. He'd been a total gentleman too, picking me up, opening the car door for me, even offering his coat when I felt a draft move through the restaurant. Dinner passed quickly, and Luke refused to let me pay any portion of the bill, instead delegating the task of choosing our dessert. We'd walked down the road to a little chocolate shop, where Luke bought me three different pieces of cake when I couldn't decide, and we happily finished them together.

The car ride home was similarly effortless. There were no awkward silences, but at the same time we didn't feel the need to fill every second with chatter. Luke drove with one hand on the steering wheel, with the other intertwined with mine in my lap. It had been lovely to be spoilt all night, but tomorrow would be my day to treat Luke to a tour of La Push.

Soon enough we pulled up to my house. Before I could object, Luke jumped out of the car and opened my door for me, grinning sheepishly as he did so. Again, he intertwined our hands, and silently walked me up to my door.

"What time will I see you tomorrow beautiful?" He asked smoothly.

"Tour starts at ten, if that's not too early?"

"Ten's perfect."

"Actually, tomorrow night Jake's having a barbecue. I thought maybe we could swing past there in the evening?"

Luke looked uncomfortable for a moment, and he hesitated before saying "sure Leah, sounds like fun."

I was concerned I'd push a little to hard. My family would be at this barbecue, as would the entire pack. I didn't want Luke to feel intimidated, or like I wanted anything more from him. It had been a perfect evening, and I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more. Luke still stood there a little stiffly, and feeling the need to show him how special he'd made me feel tonight, I reached up and softly pressed my lips against his. And there we stood, kissing passionately for the next twenty minutes. Until Seth turned the porch lights on and yelled for me to get inside.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry for the atrociously long time it has taken me to update! I was re-reading some of the lovely reviews that you all have left and it sparked some fresh motivation to get writing again. If you want to see more soon, keep up the reviewing, it's always helpful in constructing the next chapter! **

**Leah's POV:**

As I drifted back into consciousness, I rolled over and saw that the time was only 6am. Luke was arriving at 10 and I'd hoped to be able to sleep in a little more considering it was one of my rare days off work. Knowing that there was little prospect of any more sleep I changed into my gym clothes. The wolf in me yearned to run, but human Leah had decided to try yoga again. I'd found that mediation and yoga was what was working the best, and slowly I was learning to contain my anger and alleviate my stress.

I retrieved my yoga mat from my wardrobe and ran downstairs to spread it across my living room floor. By now, a few scented candles and the lights dimmed was all it took to relax me. As I was just about to kneel down and assume my first position I heard a faint tapping at the window. I froze and listened again carefully. The tapping persisted, with three brisk consecutive knocks on the windowpane. I thought it was unusual for Jake to knock, usually just barging through the door and heading straight to the pantry. Maybe all those lectures on manners had finally sunk in..

I crossed the room to the door, turned the knob and swung the door open in one smooth motion. Instead of the rugged, yet youthful face of Jake towering over me, another pair of grey eyes stared back at mine from the same level. His face was unshaven and his hair was overgrown, a sign he hadn't phased in weeks. His shirt was crinkled and lined, almost as lined as his face, which looked withered by a mixture of pain and exhaustion. We locked gaze, and I watched him search my mahogany eyes for any sort of recognition of the man that stood in front of me. The moment drew out, and the more I watched him the more I was convinced that I'd never met this broken, haggard person in my life. But I had.

The intensity of the moment sucked all the air out of my lungs, and just when it was about to be unbearable, my reflexes kicked in and the door was swung shut in his face will all my might. With all the force, the oil painting of two sleeping wolves that hung above the sink fell off the wall with the frame shattering into a million unfixable pieces. Mum would be quite pissed about that later. I leaned against the door and just breathed. I could hear his heart beat through the wood, and I knew he could hear mine too.

"Lee-Lee." I heard him gently whisper through the crack in the door.

I didn't reply. He didn't get to call me that anymore. And he knew it.

"Leah", he corrected himself, "can I come in? I just want to talk for a bit. Just to see you for a moment."

I still didn't move. I didn't need him. I didn't want him. Right?

I literally felt like my heart had been stabbed with a blunt blade, like I was drowning and there was no air to fill my lungs with. I didn't need him. I had work. I had school. I had my family. And Jake. And maybe Luke? Sam Uley had left me and now he wanted to talk. He'd thrown me away for the 'love of his life' and now it looked like he'd thrown her away too. He was a user and he couldn't have me.

The rage continued to rise inside of me as I recounted every bad thing Sam Uley had ever made me feel. I didn't need him anymore.

But I had to prove it to myself.

And with that, I opened the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thank you to all reviewers so far! Please continue to review, another chapter is in the works at the moment and the more motivated I am, the faster it goes up! I'd love to hear suggestions too if anyone has anything they want to throw out there. Thanks again **

**Leah's POV:**

Sam weakly clutched the mug of steaming coffee I'd handed him, as if all energy and zest for life had seeped out of him and into a puddle on the floor. I pottered around with my back to him, putting cookies on a plate and doing anything I could not to look him in the eye.

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked, turning around only to shove the plate next to him on the bench, turning around again to wipe up the droplets of milk I'd spilt next to the kettle.

Sam didn't respond for a while, taking a moment to chew on a biscuit, but eventually he said

"Not much. Too be honest, I really needed to get out of the house for a bit. I'm not sure why, but I guess this is the first place I wanted to come."

And with that I swung around. A look of utter shock must have reached my eyes, as if I'd been slapped clean across the face. I didn't even know what to say to that. He must have realised he'd said something he shouldn't have, and he quickly backtracked.

"But you know, I guess I've been out of commission for a few days, I'm sort of doing the rounds making sure all the wolves are staying out of trouble."

"Sam, I'm not even in your pack anymore."

And with that Sam fell quiet, knowing that there was no way to tip toe around what had happened anymore. Moments passed, and without knowing what to say or how to act, I picked up our now empty mugs and moved over to the sink to wash them.

"So I'm guessing you heard what happened.. To me… And Emily…" He said in a drawn out manner, the pain in his voice clearly audible.

"Yeah I heard."

I didn't really know what I was supposed to say. He was hurt, I could see that much. But I knew he was conflicted too. I probably knew that better than anyone, possibly even him. Curiosity got the better of me, and without thinking I asked

"What does it feel like?"

Sam looked up at me for several moments, searching for answers in my eyes, as if he was hoping he wouldn't be all alone in this. But he wouldn't find any hope here. It was frightening, but also somewhat empowering. Knowing that people needed you. I hadn't felt like that in a long time. But I was only just starting to get that back, and I wasn't about to just throw it all away.

But at the same time, he was different now somehow than when he'd been with Emily. With Emily, he'd been a pack master, a leader. The guy that everyone took orders from. That's probably why we'd clashed so badly when I was in his pack. With me, he'd been different. The Sam I'd fallen in love with was quiet; reserved. He wasn't the loudest guy in the room, or the most powerful. But he was mine. All he used to care about was making me happy, and not what other people said or thought about him. My mum adored him, Seth looked up to him and my dad respected him. This broken mess sitting in front me was probably closer to that loving genuine guy than authoritative pack master Sam ever was. And that was the scariest realisation of all.

"Lee-Lee, it's like I've been in a delusional dream for the past couple of years, a dream that felt so real it made me forget who I am. But now that it's over, it's like it never happened, like everything I wanted before is what I want again now. It's like nothing ever chan.."

The front door slamming, followed by several bouts of yelling, swearing and wrestling, cut Sam off mid-sentence. Quill, Embry, Seth and Jacob were home.

The boys ran straight into the kitchen, but stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Sam sitting at the kitchen bench. Sam turned to look at them, uttering a mere "hey guys". The intensity of the situation seemed to hang in the air, and with quick "hey Sam", Quill, Embry and Seth left the kitchen and proceeded to go play X-box in Seth's room. But Jacob stayed where he stood, and didn't look like he'd be moving any time soon. Jake was angry, although I wasn't sure why. I was a big girl, I could look after myself, but Jake locked eyes with Sam and a menacing look crossed his face.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" Jacob asked, a slight growl forming in the back of his throat.

"I just stopped by to see Leah for a bit, but I was actually just about to leave." Sam sounded exhausted, like he was too tired to engage in Jake's aggressive behaviour, and so he removed himself from the situation.

"Thanks for the coffee Lee-Lee, I'll see you guys around."

And with that Sam let himself out. Jacob crossed to the window and watched him walk all the way down the street.

"Jake, what are you doing? It's not like he's going to hide out in the bushes outside my house and watch me sleep. He's gone." I said with a slight chuckle.

"I don't like it. What right has he got to come here, especially after everything?"

"Jake really, it's fine. I needed this. Really."

Jake carefully searched my face for any pain or contempt. But I was fine. I'd needed to see Sam anyway, to know that I wouldn't run straight back into his arms as I'd fantasised doing so many times over the past few years. But he had given me a lot to think about. Maybe there was hope for us yet; as friends. Maybe we could recover aspects of what we'd had. I didn't need him, but that didn't mean I didn't want him in my life. We had so much history. And he was so broken; he needed someone to talk to. I was snapped out of my thoughts by a quick glance at the clock. Luke would be here in an hour, and with that I ran upstairs to get ready.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Thank you to the lovely people that reviewed my last two chapters; I really appreciate all the support. Please, please PLEASE be sure to review the next few as much drama will occur! PS: This is my longest chapter yet, be proud. **

**Leah's POV:**

Luke had arrived at 10am on the dot, totally punctual as always. He'd greeted me with a peck on the lips and followed me inside for a quick cup of coffee. As promised, I led him all around La Push. He left his car at my house, it was beautiful summer's day and we decided to walk. I'd shown him the beach first, and we'd walked up and down the coast, hand in hand with our feet in the water. Next I took him to the local markets, followed by my favourite bookstore on the corner of the main street. After a quick bite to eat we walked home through the forest, even racing back to my house for the last hundred meters. It had been a perfect day. Hopefully Jake's barbecue would prove to be as equally enjoyable.

…..

"Hair up or down?" I asked Luke, who was perched on my bed waiting for me to get ready.

"Either babe, you know I think you're beautiful either way." He smoothly replied with a cheeky grin.

I leaned in and kissed him, playfully shoving him back onto the bed and walking away.

"You're no help…"

I decided to keep it casual, wearing a pair of skin tight blue jeans and black leather jacket, which Luke certainly didn't seem to object to at all.

I watched his reflection in the mirror as I put my hair up. It seemed so natural having him here, in my room. It was nice to just talk about nothing. No vampires, no ancient treaty, no imprints.

"So… you're here for the rest of the week right..?"

I was curious to find out a little more about what he'd be up to for the rest of his time here, and how much of that time he'd anticipated spending with me.

"Yep, well five more days to be exact. I have a meeting on one of those days though; I have a few contacts to follow up with in Port Angeles. Other than that I'll have a lot of downtime I reckon."

That made me smile, which in turn made Luke smile. Despite the intimacy of the moment, I was secretly quite worried about bringing him along tonight. Jacob, Sam and basically the entire wolf population of La Push would be in attendance And with that many hot-headed, testosterone fuelled, animalistic individuals in one confined area, something was bound to go wrong.

….

As we walked up the street and approach Jacob's house we could already hear his thumping music cascading down the quiet suburban street.

"Are you sure it started at seven o'clock? There are barely any cars out the front."

There was no way to explain to him that most of the attendees would likely have transformed into giant, hairy beasts and sprinted here themselves, so a non-committal shrug would have to suffice. We quickly walked up Jake's uneven garden path and reached the door. I was too comfortable here to bother knocking, and the door was unlocked anyway, so I pushed in open and grabbed Luke's hand to lead him inside. He seemed to stiffen ever so lightly as we crossed the threshold. He was uncomfortable, so I gave his hand a quick squeeze to comfort him, which he returned with a quick peck on my cheek. I led him through the house, and straight through the sliding glass doors at the back that led to the garden.

The second we walked through the door, every eye snapped to us, or more accurately, to Luke. The Council, including my mother, weren't here tonight. It was mostly a celebration for La Push's younger protectors, and yet they succeeded in making it sufficiently awkward all by themselves. As we proceeded down the veranda steps, I grabbed Luke's hand again and led him towards the barbecue that Jacob was monopolising at the back of the garden. Seth intercepted us first, bounding up to us like an excited, and possibly slightly inebriated, puppy.

"Hey Luke, how's it going?" He asked, giving Luke a fist bump, which was Seth's new signature thing. Luke laughed and talked excitedly to Seth about his tour of La Push this morning. My brother could always be counted on to act cordially, and he managed this despite the fact that he never easily warmed to any of my boyfriends initially. While Seth chattered away to Luke beside me, I quickly scanned the garden to see who was in attendance. Jared and Embry were next to Jake at the barbecue, fighting over a pair of tongs and trying to shove each other out of the way. The younger kids in Sam's pack were huddled around a small fire playing some sort of card game and drinking game that they'd conveniently combined. The imprints could be found neatly sitting in a circle, gossiping and sipping on their wine coolers. Quill happily sat with them, bouncing Claire on his lap. Paul and Rachel were also here, but as Seth had explained, apparently had snuck around the side of the house to make out when they thought no one was watching. As I continued to scan the room I locked eyes with Sam, who had been watching me from the corner since I'd arrived. He sat alone, grasping a beer, and he gave me a small sad smile in greeting, clearly hesitant to approach me. It wasn't clear why, until I turned and saw Jake glaring at him from across the garden, issuing a very clear warning while turning over some steaks. When Jacob saw me watching the exchange between him and Sam, he shoved the tongs into Embry's hand, muttering an "if you burn them I will kill you." He picked up a couple of beers and walked over to us.

"Hi Lee." He said, handing me a beer.

He turned to Luke and offering a beer and merely said "you must be Leah's friend Luke."

Jacob had very deliberately chosen the word 'friend', but if Luke was aware of that he surely didn't show it. He could tell Jacob was trying to intimidate him, and I could tell he was trying to his hardest not to back down. But Jacob clearly noticed Luke look him up and down, taking in his ridiculous height and impossibly toned, muscular body. He was no physical match.

"It's nice to meet you Jacob, I've heard so much about you from Leah." Luke said, extending his hand to Jake in a friendly manner.

"I've heard a lot about you too." Jacob replied, gripping his hand tightly enough to make Luke flinch and break their contact. Jacob looked Luke up and down, with a menacing grin on his face.

It didn't matter that Luke couldn't match Jake in an arm wrestle, he found his own way to get under his skin. Luke wrapped an arm around my waist, looking Jacob straight in the eye with a cocky smirk. In that moment I sincerely believed that Jake would punch him square in the jaw. Or he would have if Sam hadn't interrupted them…

**Preview of Chapter 9 (Leah's POV):**

As I walked down the hallway I could hear muffled voices coming from the living room, where the door had been deliberately closed.

"I mean it Sam, just leave her alone. She's been doing well lately, she doesn't need you messing things up for her again." This voice, muffled or not, was unmistakably Jacob's.

"I'm not going to hurt her again, I just need to be around her. We have things we need to figure out." Sam replied, in his newly acquired tone of exhaustion. But his tone became more aggressive with his next question.

"And who's this guy anyway? Like what do we even know about him? What does Leah even really know about him?


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** **Thank you to all the lovely readers who have followed, favourited or reviewed so far! Just wanted you to know that I have some ideas for the next two chapters but not so much for after that. Now is the time to make suggestions, I'd love to know what everyone would like to get out of this story! **

I genuinely believed Jacob was about to take a swing at Luke, he'd even leaned in ever so slightly, as if preparing himself for a punch up. I couldn't believe how stupid Jacob was acting, like an insecure, temperamental, little bitch. He'd be getting a piece of mind later on. But Luke wasn't helping the situation either. Not only had he snaked his arm around my waist, enough so to make Jacob see red, he pulled me close to his side and planted a kiss on the side of my face, right where my jaw met my exposed neck. Jacob's eyes clouded over, and just as he opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly untactful, he was luckily interrupted.

"Jacob, Embry's burning your steaks." Sam said quickly, and he'd paced straight over to us, obviously attempting to diffuse the situation. Jacob ignored him, not taking his eyes of Luke's arm, which remained firmly around my waist. Seeing his discomfort, I shrugged Luke's arm off of me, an action that made Jacob smirk and taunt Luke with his eyes. He gave Luke one last threatening look, and threw a quick look of concern at me before sauntering off towards the barbecue.

"I don't believe we've met yet, I'm Sam." He said, extending his hand to Luke. I knew Sam Uley too well to fall for the gentlemanly act, and I wondered what he wanted with Luke.

"Leah, come and sit with us for a bit!" Kim yelled from across the yard.

"Babe, you should go say hi to your friends, I'll be ok here." Luke responded warmly.

I couldn't ignore Kim and the other women, and Jacob had turned to see if I was going to leave Luke's side. But Sam Uley was the last person on the planet I would ever leave Luke alone with. I wasn't quite ready to share the tacky soap opera plot that was my life.

"LEAH!" All the ladies shouted together. And with that I was promptly marched over the other side of the garden by Kim and left to stare at Luke and Sam animatedly chatting away.

…..

I'd watched Luke and Sam chat for the better part of twenty minutes, while downing the rest of the wine coolers the imprints had left lying around. Luke had soon been dragged away from Sam by Seth to join the card/drinking game with the youngsters and only then did I relax slightly. It was hard for me to get drunk, considering my freakish metabolism and perpetual feverish temperature, and wine coolers certainly wouldn't get the job done. But that didn't stop me from needing to pee like crazy, and I left the circle of women and went inside to the bathroom. On the way inside I noticed that neither Sam nor Jacob were anywhere to be found.

As I walked back down the hallway I could hear muffled voices coming from the living room, where the door had been deliberately closed.

"I mean it Sam, just leave her alone. She's been doing well lately, she doesn't need you messing things up for her again." This voice, muffled or not, was unmistakably Jacob's.

"I'm not going to hurt her again, I just need to be around her. We have things we need to figure out." Sam replied, in his newly acquired tone of exhaustion. But his tone became more aggressive with his next question.

"And who's this guy anyway? Like what do we even know about him? What does Leah even really know about him?

I crouched next to the door and continued to listen, curious to know why those assholes though they could discuss my decisions without me even being there to defend them.

"I don't know Sam. Not that it's really any of your God damn business. Even if that guy turns out to be a total creep, you don't get to ride in on your white horse and try to 'rescue' her. Stay the hell away, Leah can look after herself!"

As angry as I might be at Jake for his atrocious behaviour, sometimes being his friend had undeniably perks. One of them being his total inability to tolerate Sam Uley and his bullshit.

"If he turns out to be a creep? What if I already had evidence that he is?" Sam replied coolly.

With this, Jacob went silent. I could practically hear the cogs turning in his brain.

"What kind of evidence….?" He tentatively asked.

"I swiped the jerk's phone when he took off his coat."

The second I heard this something snapped deep inside of me. I started trembling. I clutched on to the door, trying to restrain it, trying to repress it. But I couldn't. Before I could pull it all back in, I saw my hands turn to paws and long, shaggy fur spread across my whole body.

…..

Sam and Jacob stood in front of me, while I sat on the couch with a blanket wrapped around me. My new jeans had been ripped to pieces. Mum was going to kill me. Luckily, Jacob had pulled me inside and closed the door the second he'd heard me phase in the hall, and luckily so, as Claire ran down the hall seconds later. My body was still shaking, and I was so furious I couldn't look either one of them in the eye. Instead I looked at their shoes.

"How dare you. What the hell gives you the right to snoop through his phone?" I snarled.

"But Le-"

"Shut up!" I cut Sam off before he tried to defend his actions.

"Why won't you just let me move on Sam? You begged me to move on when you married Emily, you said you wanted me to be happy! And now when I'm really giving it a go you decide you didn't mean that after all?"

"Lee"

"And you!" I screamed, turning my attention to Jacob.

"What the hell was that before? You were going to hit him! How the hell am I supposed to explain the whole werewolf strength thing to him Jacob? You would have pulverised him!"

Jacob had the decency to look down at the floor and take it like a man. He didn't try to defend himself, he didn't try and give me any crappy excuses.

All he said was "I'm sorry Lee."

"Leah, would you just listen to me for a second?" Sam shouted.

"Why the hell should I? What is it that you're going to tell me you know? What? Is Luke actually a drug dealer? Does he kill people for a living? WHAT IS IT SAM? I know everything I need to know about him!" I yelled back with as much venom as I could muster.

But Sam didn't return any of that venom. In fact, he looked devastated when he whispered "really Leah? Then do you know who Lucy is?"

My mouth fell open and my breathing hitched. Jacob visibly tensed next to me. But Sam continued to talk, continued to move the knife in and out of my haemorrhaging body.

"Do you know about Courtney? Or Sarah? How about Lisa?"

Jacob's breathing intensified. But I was numb. And then Sam stuck the knife in one last time.

"And they're just the ones in the state of Washington…"


End file.
